Well, this may well be the second best New Years of all-time (note, this includes the potential of the future). Maaike couldn’t make it as she was meeting her mother in Auckland and is currently off exploring the North Island.
I have met a lot of really great people through the Canterbury University Tramping Club (CUTC), and I think my first tramp was with Sylvia – who organised this New Years along with her brother Julian.
Sylvia and Julian’s parents bought 1000 acres of bush and an old paper mill up in Takaka (Golden Bay) for $17 an acre in 1970. It is an awesome place. They’re still discovering caves there.
There was a great bunch of friends there – some (like Jana and Julian I’ve not seen in 2 years since they left to Germany)? The trip was spent exploring and playing games. For example, golf (with hokey sticks – playing balls off trees / buildings / tents etc. very much encouraged). Michelle (playing) was killer.
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They have mobile lawnmowers (sheep). Some of them are self shedding. One of these was shawn by Mark Hooker. Can you guess which one?
So yes, exploring the bush and caves was fun. About 2km from their property is a 7km long cave (this pic is not that one).
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Their water they get from a stream 100 (vertical) metres downhill. But they use a hydrostatic pump to get it up the hill. Basically (as far as my very ageing engineering brain can understand) you create a header tank (pressure) and then use this pressure to force a (small amount) of water through a one way valve. Effectively you use a relatively large amount of water at lower pressure to push a small amount of water at high pressure. And it works with very few moving parts and little maintenance. It is, almost, magic. And here’s a rubbish picture.
Steve & Mark shot a goat each (wild – pests here) on New Years eve.. so that was prepared for dinner. The fire was insanely big – considering bush all about. Luckily all the tents had been removed first ;)
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The goat (backstakes) were grilled (on a small fire – honestly, a little tough – but the curry the following night was way better). We also toasted marshmallows on (very) long sticks.
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There were so many little things that made the place groovy.. just two of which were their ingenious wood system. Basically there was a hole in the back of the kitchen cupboard that you could pull through from the wood pile outside. Very clever. And their toilet in use sign (blue hand) was also quite neat. Also a picture of Michelle looking happy as Steve enjoys taking out a splinter (too much wood chopping)
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Also went for a really enjoyable scramble with Jana (yay to have her back for a visit!) and Lachlain (damn tough kiwi). Just scrambling around waterfalls and up block-strewn rivers. So much fun. And a pic of Al Wood, in a boat, on the 20m long pond.
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All in all, an amazing new years (and good to be out of mobile reception for it too ;)
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